1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exterior member, an electric wire wiring structure, and a method of manufacturing the exterior member, and more specifically, to an exterior member which covers the circumference of an electric wire along the electric wire which is wired between electrical components, an electric wire wiring structure which includes the exterior member, and a method of manufacturing the exterior member.
2. Related Art
In an automobile, various electrical components or electronic devices are loaded, and electric wires (in other words, wire harnesses) are wired in order to transmit electric power, control signals or the like between the electrical components (electronic devices). It is proposed that identifying marks are given to the various electric wires to identify which electrical circuit each of the electric wires corresponds to (refer to a JP-A-2003-168329). A coated electric wire described in the JP-A-2003-168329 is given a plurality of kinds of identifying marks, which are intermittent in an axial direction (that is, longitudinal direction) of the outer surface of a coated part and which are different from each other in color and size, by printing.
Especially in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle among automobiles, equipments such as a motor, a battery, and an inverter are electrically connected by electric wires which are electric power wires. Therefore, while a DC power from the battery is transmitted to the inverter by the electric wires, an AC power converted by the inverter is supplied to the motor, and the motor is driven by the supplied electric power. In this way, the electric power supplied to the motor is a high voltage one, and in order to identify a high voltage electric wire, the whole of an insulative coating of the electric wire (namely sheath) or an exterior member (for example, a corrugated tube, an aluminum pipe or the like) is colored to have a predetermined identifying color (such as orange) (refer to a JP-A-2009-143326).
On the other hand, in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, the battery is installed under a seat or in a trunk room at the rear side of the vehicle, and the inverter and the motor are arranged in the engine room at the front side of the vehicle. In this case, the electric wires (that is, electric power wires) which connect the battery with the inverter are wired under the floor of the vehicle (refer to a JP-A-2012-125097). In this way, the electric wire that is wired under the floor is typically covered by an exterior member in order to protect the electric wire from stone splash or water splash when the vehicle is running. In addition, in order to prevent electrical noise from leaking from the wired electric wire, and in order to prevent outside electrical noise from entering into the electric wire, the electric wire is shielded by being covered by a conductive exterior member.
Thus, the exterior member is required to have not only functions of, for example, protecting the electric wire, waterproofing and electrically shielding, but also various performances, such as maintaining a three-dimensional wiring shape, and improving stability while the electric wire is transported and operativity while being assembled to the vehicle.